Mantel clock
Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów
Part of the collection: Clocks
The spring-driven mechanism made by Augsburg clockmaker G. Braun indicates minutes, half-hours, hours and days of the month. It is equipped with a horizontal spindle catch and a short, lightweight external pendulum. Its case in the shape of a flat wall cupboard refers in its architectural form to tower clocks with a round dial placed in a central rectangular panel, flanked by pairs of columns: spiral ones made of ruby glass and black turned ones made of ebony. Above them prominent cornice crowning the cabinet is decorated with figures of saints and a pinnacle. Below the shield there is a gilded plaque with a scene of Christ with St Thomas.
The bottom of the cabinet is in the form of a stylised small console.
The surface of the oak cartouche, on which the mechanism case is mounted, was covered with silver sheet metal with repoussed decoration of acanthus leaves. The clock has another additional setting in the form of a rectangular, richly carved frame with rococo motifs, crowned with the Lubomirski ducal coat of arms.
It was purchased by Aleksander Potocki in Dresden in August 1843 from Ludwig Wolf’s antiquarian firm. The preserved bill does not mention the Lubomirski coat of arms in the decoration, which indicates that the frame was added after the purchase, but it is not known what was the reason for this.
AK
Dimensions
entire object: height: 97,0 cm, width: 63,0 cm
Technique
mixed
Owner
Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów
Identification number
Location / status
Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów
Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów
Museum of King Jan III's Palace at Wilanów
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